Flying in the Wind
by Sariii
Summary: Someone is causing violence and highway robberies near the boundaries of the Middle Kingdom, and Mulan and her friends must find out who, along with help from the Second Prince. But Shang notices how awkward Mulan and the Prince act together...
1. A Message

**Author's Note:** I'm back! I really should have deleted DoL, but I decided not to… all that writing and not completing it… I'll try to be more dedicated to this, as I'm hooked my currently nonexistent plot. I'll try to be historically accurate, as well, so if you know anything erroneous in my writing, please leave a review!

Personally, I did not think the sequel was better than the original (it almost never is). So here is my version, slightly not movie-worthy, and completely not better than the original.

**Disclaimer**: Everything mine is mine; everything else is not mine.

**Historic Note:** Let's pretend Mulan lived in the Tang Dynasty, with Li Taizong as Emperor. Let's also pretend that out of his _thirty-six_ children, Crown Prince **Li Chéngqián **and Fourth Prince **Li Tai **were born second and first, respectively. To make it easier for me, as I'm a lazy authoress with no clue of Ancient China, we'll assume those two are his only sons. Meaning **Chengqian is Second Prince, Li Tai is Crown Prince**.

--

The sun shined lazily through the tree branches in the Fa garden, where Mulan sat. She was toying with a two silk ribbons. One could see both weren't used often now. Dust clinged to the ends and they had wrinkles on them from being folded and pressed on too often. Still, Mulan absentmindedly stroked the soft material, pausing to close her eyes and sigh, as if she was reliving some lost memory of hers.

Wrapping the ribbons around her shoulders, she went to the corner of the walls of her home, stepping on a stool to see outside. It was quite busy, she saw. The villagers had gathered outside for their "market day" and their loud voices made Mulan giggle. Some were selling the most ridiculous objects as well. Mama and Baba were both out there, somewhere, buying some goods for the month. Grandma was in the village, too, but Mulan suspected that instead of buying, she was gambling with the older women and men for—well, Mulan wasn't exactly sure what, but her mischievous grandmother was bound to be blamed for cheating, or something equally bad. Secretly, Mulan felt that Grandma did not cheat, and was always good at gambling, but she dared not say her thoughts to Mama.

After she groomed Khan and fed Little Brother, she went on to make supper. Thankfully, she had inherited her Mama's talent of cooking. Besides, she had her own talent: even Mama nor Grandma could dance as well as she could.

"At least I'm not completely worthless," she muttered to herself, taking a glance at the silk ribbons.

'But dancing is completely different from being worthy for a wife,' she reflected. And she did not know which was worse: the embarrassment from the admiring glances of adventurous women, or the utter humiliation from the scornful looks of the others. After all, she was known to be too skinny to bear sons.

But why would she have a son? No man would have her now, with all the news of her fame spreading everywhere; honestly, a cross-dresser for a wife? Even Mulan had to laugh out loud.

--

The sun was beginning to set when the rest of the family came back.

"I feel so rich today, Mulan! All thanks to my darling son!" rejoiced Grandma.

"Gambling again, Grandma?"

"It is thanks to your father's excellent skill at _Xiang Qi_ that Fortune is upon me!"

They all laughed at the pun, and Mulan poured tea slowly as they ate. Dinner was lively, quite unlike that memorable day. It was really only a month after the Emperor, in effect, pardoned her, but it felt much longer to Mulan. War often did that to people; all she had wanted was to please her family, she did not expect to sacrifice her innocence and way of life, something that, even if it was expected, Mulan was not willing to give up.

Dinner was interrupted suddenly, by a neigh of horses. Mulan knew it was not their own… the sound had come from outside their gates. Mama had announced she would go inspect the noise, and within a few moments, returned with a messenger dressed in fine clothing.

"To the Fa family: I bring a message from the Emperor," he paused, and tentatively spoke, "It is specifically addressed to Fa Mulan."

Surprised, Mulan wordlessly took the scroll he held out. She scanned it, but her expression was unreadable.

Mistaking her reaction, the messenger asked, "Would you like me to read it for you?"

Mulan turned sharply, raising an eyebrow.

"I can read, than you."

"Oh, yes, of course. I apologize. I--"

He was ushered out by Grandma, who returned, muttering, "How dare he imply my grandchild is an incompetent, illiterate fool!"

Mama, although deeply perturbed, pressed Mulan, asking her what the Emperor wanted. Mulan passed it to her Mama, who then passed it on to everyone else at the table, until everyone had seen its contents.

"We cannot ignore His Majesty's request," Fa Zhou spoke wisely, "We will be escorted to the Palace early tomorrow, we should get prepared."

Everyone nodded, although Mulan knew they were all confused. Mulan went to her room, lying down on her sleeping mat. She could not sleep.

"If the Emperor did not ask for me to become part of his army again, then why is he inviting us to the Palace without an explanation?" she asked herself.

In the darkness, she shifted her gaze from the ceiling to the silk ribbons on one of the chairs, almost wanting them to give an answer.

There was none.


	2. The Palace

Khan had been grumpy that morning as Mulan opened the stable doors. The sound had woken the black horse, and even for _his_ experience in the army, he was not pleased with waking up so early.

"We have to get ready, you lazy horse!" scolded Mulan, "The Emperor has invited us for dinner. We'll be there for a few days, you know."

Khan whinnied and turned his back to her.

"Well, if I get hungry in the next few days and don't have anything to eat, don't blame me!"

There was no reply.

"Shame… he probably eats a forty-course meal every day! Of course, his horses must receive the best hay, too, don't you think? All those oats and carrots… Well, if you prefer to starve while we're gone, I'm sure that—"

Khan whinnied louder this time as he sat up, looking at her expectantly. Mulan laughed, holding out a carrot for him. The two other horses looked at the carrot enviously, but they quickly brightened as she produced two more carrots from behind her. Mulan just laughed even harder.

--

The horses were deeply perturbed at the thought of someone else mounting them. Mulan spent most the journey trying subtly to gaze out the carriage window. Her father caught her and tried to alleviate her boredom.

"Why do you think the Emperor has sent for us?"

"It's probably a banquet to thank me."

Fa Zhou shook his head.

"The Emperor is not a lazy man, Mulan. A banquet would have been prepared soon after you came home."

Mulan nodded. Her father had made another wise point.

"Will any courtiers be there?"

He replied, "I should not think so. Even if it is a feast for you, it is not wise to celebrate the victory of a woman warrior, no matter her bravery."

Mulan blushed crimson. She knew her father was greatly touched by her actions, and she knew how much everyone outside of her family scorned them. Was the approval of the Emperor really worth it?

"Well, courtiers or no courtiers, I hope that Captain of yours will be there!" said Grandma gleefully.

Mulan had to blush again, even as a chill traveled through her spine. She stood up straighter, feeling goosebumps run up and down her arms.

"Grandma, I--"

The elderly woman cut her off, babbling again—his features were divine, his soul quite virtuous… wealthy, chivalrous, brave, handsome, handsome, handsome!

"Perfect for my granddaughter!"

Mulan stiffened slightly, even if Grandma was only teasing. Marriage was certainly an inauspicious topic. The last time she had—

She shook herself out of reverie, and tried to drown out the sounds of Mama's gasps as Mama's eyebrows climbed higher and higher.Mulan had to admit she was attracted to Shang. That much was apparent. But as much as she was comfortable with him on the battlefield, society placed too many burdens on her to do anything but nod and smile. What would she say? The situation was too awkward.

Mulan heard Baba chuckle slightly, and she heard the end of a particularly racy comment.

_Yes, this was going to be a long journey._

_--_

The journey was not as long as she though, and soon enough, Mulan and her family were ushered to the throne room. It was finely decorated, and besides that, Mulan could not find any other way to describe it. That night, they had entered through one of the guest chambers; Shang knew his way around, and they found their way without trouble.

But Mulan knew the palace just as well. It had been a long time ago, and the memories were vague, like a fairytale dream. But they were there, just the same.

_She remembered a boy—dark hair with dark eyes—that rarely laughed. She remembered how he always wanted to laugh like her, but didn't anyone to see him. She was quite naïve then, more than she was now, and couldn't understand his reasoning. She remembered try to all sorts of tricks to please him, but every time, his dark eyes would brighten and sparkle—the only indication he was amused by her foolery._

As she approached the royal family, those blurry memories suddenly sharpened to vividly reveal a man with the same dark countenance. Mulan was startled, so she couldn't help staring. The man's eyes met hers. He visibly stiffened, eyes brightening with recognition.

The Fa family bowed. They chorused their greetings, all except for Mulan, who had skipped a beat. She was too lost in her thoughts, and by the time she had finished, the rest of the family was already silent. Mulan winced; everyone had heard her mistake.

"My loyal General Fa," the Emperor greeted, "how wonderful it is to see you."

Fa Zhou bowed.

"I apologize for summoning you and your family at such an inconvenient time. But I feel I needed to honor your daughter, as well as many other brave soldiers, appropriately."

Mulan felt the need to bow, as did the rest of the family. She sensed that the celebration was not the only reason for His Majesty's summon, but she decided not to press it; whatever it was, the Emperor would reveal it soon.

--  
--

Author's Note: A small birthday goody-bag from me to you. Since you can't buy any presents for me, I expect LOTS of reviews! This story may be a bit confusing right now, but I hope you'll get it soon. Anyone who wants to guess the missing link between the Prince and Mulan. I think it's quite obvious.


	3. Shifty Eyes

--

The bath was steaming while Mulan was scrubbed thoroughly. Her skin was much lighter than other girls, even though it was tanned from her training, and it flushed a bright red far too quickly for her liking.

All this pain for beauty… 

She was dressed in red silk robes—_much too uncomfortable_, she thought—and the most exotic of cosmetics were painted on her face—_much too awkward_, she noted—and the simplest of combs were delicately placed in her hair, an emerald flower, peeking out from the sea of red.

The mirror was brought, and Mulan could only stare at the stranger, who was as equally shocked to see her as much as Mulan was to see this beauty. The stranger's emerald flower glinted and winked at her, and Mulan allowed a small smile. She didn't feel the silk of her robes, nor the layer of makeup, nor the rouge, wet paint on her lips.

For once, she relished in being the porcelain doll that she never _really_ could be or could have been…

…_a rush of silk…_

It jerked her out of her reverie.

With glazed eyes, she looked around to see the handmaids beam proudly at her, and she smiled back, if only to forget…

--

Grandma, Mama and Baba were already outside, waiting for her. Grandma was dressed in blue, Mama was dressed in jade; Baba, in his old army attire. They were surprised as she drew near; Mulan saw Mama smiling proudly at her, like they all had…

"My darling daughter has grown into a beautiful woman; I can hardly recognize my child."

Mulan smiled, barely controlling her tears; Baba looked misty-eyed as well.

She felt wave of pride wash over her, and remembered a small girl just like her who clung to her Mama's arm, who looked in wonder at such an exquisite place just like this one. As they all headed to meet the Emperor, Mulan clutched her Mama's arm, just as she had done all those years ago, and felt Mama's hand wrap around her's.

--

Mulan had never seen the royal banquet hall, despite the fact that she had been at the palace before…It was lit, easily the brightest room there, everything adorned with precious jewels and metals. Mulan risked a glance—there were quite a few people there, and by their clothing, most were part of the army.

They bowed to the royal family. The Emperor looked quite pleased to see them, and the Empress, a frail, yet graceful-looking woman, nodded politely. Crown Prince Li Tai did the same, and so did his brother, Chéngquián. The eyes of the three princesses curved into half moons as they smiled. But when Mulan raised her head, she caught the Second Prince smiling slightly.

"Chi Fu," the Emperor spoke.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" came the oily reply.

"Make room for our honored guests, the General Fa and his family!"

Chi Fu was no different than Mulan—despite desperately trying not to—remembered. Pompous and whiny, she barely could contain a smirk when she saw that he was to the right of the Emperor. Baba moved to sit in Chi Fu's place, murmuring a "Thank you" to the advisor. They all sat together, and Chi Fu—the poor man—sat four seats away. She turned to give a small grin to Chéngquián, but suddenly caught the eye off a familiar face.

Li Shang was looking straight at her, across from his place at the table. He, too, must have been surprised to see her—he was staring at her with a blank expression—but that quickly disappeared, and instead, he gave her a welcoming smile.

She could no longer remember what had been so humorous, and her smile disappeared quite suddenly. She was acutely aware of Chien-Po, Yao, Ling turn to see her sit down and the low chatter of a woman and a little boy of age eight—whom she presumed to be his mother and little brother.

Shang gave a puzzled look, frowning. She didn't understand the situation—even still, didn't know what to do—and chose to look down at her hands.

--

The rest of dinner was uneventful, although Mama and Baba spoke quietly with the Emperor and Empress; Mulan avoided any eye-contact with anyone save for her family and occasionally, a glance at the two Princes…Grandma kept shooting looks at her and Mulan could not tell whether it was because of Shang glancing at her, or whether she was glancing at royalty… Nothing would happen of course, even if she stared; it wasn't as if…

…_the summer breeze…_

"I thank you all for coming," the Emperor spoke.

Mulan's head rose so suddenly, even the usually preoccupied Chi-Fu raised a haughty eyebrow.

"This wonderful dinner is in honor of my faithful subjects who risked their lives for the safety of the average countryman; we thank you from the bottom of our hearts…"

Mulan caught Chéngquián's eye…

…_a graceful arch…_

"…However, this is not the sole purpose of our meeting…"

She saw Chéngquián frown and she wondered what the Emperor had to say, if it was so important that not even his children knew anything.

"Highway robberies having occurring more and more often as we continue to fight the Huns; more and more villages are being burnt and the people either killed or kidnapped. I suspect those that survived the palace attack are leading the attacks, but I cannot be sure. The Hun leader is not as aggressive as his general, Shan-Yu, had been, but we must prepare for war if diplomacy fails. I would like it, General Li—"

Here, Mulan glanced sharply at the family. He was a general now, she reminded herself, his father died in battle. The little brother and mother looked anxious and worried.

"…if you and a handful of your men could find the criminals responsible."

Shang protested, "Your Majesty, if the country is in anticipation of war…"

"I have left it to others who have the same amount of dedication and endurance as you, my loyal General, do not worry."

He hesitated then, looking at his mother and brother, replying softly, "Then I will accept."

The Emperor nodded, and turned to Baba, "General Fa, it is with resignation that I admit… my duties as Emperor do not permit me to know every detail of this country; the same applies to the Army. I need someone who knows this land."

"It is an honor to serve the Emperor," Baba replied, bowing his head.

The Emperor smiled grimly, "I could never ask so much of you, Fa Zhou, I ask it of your daughter."

Mulan felt the weight of their stares again, but merely looked at Baba. He would know, like he always did. Mama, pursing her lips in worry, and Grandma, with a strangely serious expression, both nodded. She could see the Princes look at each other, each with a frown on his face. The princesses watched in a rapt anticipation to see how she would respond, although Mulan had a feeling they al knew what she would say.

"I am grateful to serve my country and guide General Li and his men."

From their opposites sides of the table, Chéngquián and Mulan regarded each other with a cool—seemingly uncaring—gaze. Something in that gaze made Mulan feel some kind of strange guilt and wistfulness, although she had no reason to feel guilty. She looked away, turning once again to find Shang staring at her, with the oddest of expressions was on his face. She looked away again.

The catalyst was set in place.

--

--

My deepest apologies. I told myself I would finish this chapter by the end of the week.

We had singing auditions for our school musical today. I tried out. And I mucked up. Badly. But what do you care? This story's updated. You don't care if I can sing or not. So what?

So I get lots of reviews to cheer me up, right?

Right.


	4. NOTE

**Author's Note—PLEASE READ:** I've recently destroyed my laptop's hard drive. It's been replaced, but all of the files I had until that point are now gone. Every single chapter of every fic I had not finished or posted is now irretrievable. I definitely had things written for:

Hush (TeenTitans, RobRae)

Flying in the Wind (Mulan, ShangMulan)

Confessions (Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Caspar/Iris)

Silver & Gold (Pirates of the Carribean, Jack/Anamaria)

more drabbles of Love of Gray

Night (unpublished TeenTitans, RobRae)

and even an untitled, unpublished, TeenTitans, KidFlash/Jinx

As a result, don't expect updates for a while. To all my faithful readers, please accept my apologies. To those who were especially waiting for a chapter in a different fandom other than "Detective Conan", I have not forgotten about you. I really was working on everything but.

Let's hope 2010 will be better. May all my favorite writers update! 


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